Met Home Winners: Most Enviable Glass House

Met Home Winners: Best Indoor/Outdoor Design

Met Home Winners: Best Indoor/Outdoor Design

Even though Cohen wanted to give this ranch a complete makeover, she was adamant about honoring the integrity of the original house. Local Architect Peter Ogden first designed the house in 1981 but was heavily influenced by the mid-century modern homes created by the Harvard Five, the most famous being the Philip Johnson Glass House in New Canaan, Connecticut. Cohen hired architect Joeb Moore of Joeb + Partners to help her create an abode Marcel Breuer would applaud. “We were in perfect sync. I acted as general contractor managing details, hiring sub-contractors, and remembering every measurement throughout the house.” We applaud her hard work building this gorgeous home with walls of glass surrounding all sides.

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Met Home Winners: Best Indoor/Outdoor Design

Met Home Winners: Best Indoor/Outdoor Design

After 27 years of marriage, and many different affinities to design styles, the Cohens finally went with their gut: “My husband, as a designer who creates interior spaces for museums [and I] had always wanted to create a home that was more minimal in design—streamlining our living spaces to offer refuge from our busy professional lives.” And the living room is the perfect example; rather than fill it with stuff, the showstoppers are the views from the floor-to-ceiling windows. The sectional, Tibetan rug, and lamp are all monochromatic and the true color comes from the natural light, the trees, the landscaping, and gorgeous pool at arms-length away.

Met Home Winners: Best Indoor/Outdoor Design

Even though Cohen wanted to give this ranch a complete makeover, she was adamant about honoring the integrity of the original house. Local Architect Peter Ogden first designed the house in 1981 but was heavily influenced by the mid-century modern homes created by the Harvard Five, the most famous being the Philip Johnson Glass House in New Canaan, Connecticut. Cohen hired architect Joeb Moore of Joeb + Partners to help her create an abode Marcel Breuer would applaud. “We were in perfect sync. I acted as general contractor managing details, hiring sub-contractors, and remembering every measurement throughout the house.” We applaud her hard work building this gorgeous home with walls of glass surrounding all sides.

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Met Home Winners: Best Indoor/Outdoor Design

After 27 years of marriage, and many different affinities to design styles, the Cohens finally went with their gut: “My husband, as a designer who creates interior spaces for museums [and I] had always wanted to create a home that was more minimal in design—streamlining our living spaces to offer refuge from our busy professional lives.” And the living room is the perfect example; rather than fill it with stuff, the showstoppers are the views from the floor-to-ceiling windows. The sectional, Tibetan rug, and lamp are all monochromatic and the true color comes from the natural light, the trees, the landscaping, and gorgeous pool at arms-length away.

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Met Home Winners: Best Indoor/Outdoor Design

Alongside the living room, the dining room’s sleek reflective surfaces—the glass table, swanky chandelier, windows and sliding glass doors—create a shimmering effect as the natural light descends upon the room. Once again, the windows display the art outside.

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Met Home Winners: Best Indoor/Outdoor Design

Seven-foot-wide bluestone hallways guide guests through the house. The hall floor plan is structured like a “T”, each strip creating a 100-feet path—all roads lead to nature. The windows in the library (and virtually the entire house) are floor-to-ceiling, letting the light and outdoors in.

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Met Home Winners: Best Indoor/Outdoor Design

“My husband and I mapped out our vision for each area within the interior—opening up spaces to create a seamless, loft-like effect,” says Cohen and because of this approach, the bathroom couldn’t be dreamier. A custom shower, gorgeous tub, and monumental windows lay the foundation of this choice floor plan. With smart tile and flooring choices, the natural light elegantly bounces and glitters off the surfaces.

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Met Home Winners: Best Indoor/Outdoor Design

Every inch of the house is integrated with the outside and Cohen had to update the kitchen to the same standard. To do this, she replaced the outdated windows, removed moldings and walls, and raised the doorways. Her husband designed the 13-foot-long by 30-inch-high kitchen window—which was especially tricky to engineer. Now the wood finishes echo the trees outside and the only views are of the adjacent landscape.

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Met Home Winners: Best Indoor/Outdoor Design

A large vertical beam was removed from the original outdoor porch to create a seamless view of the outdoors through 16-feet-wide sliding doors. Says Cohen, “The beauty of nature is at every turn.” The house garners many comments. For some, it’s an art gallery. To others, it’s a little rock and roll—but for Cohen, it’s just home. She says, “The best thing of all is that our family of five fits perfectly here. It's as if we always belonged here. We just can't picture ourselves living anywhere else. And, at the end of the day, it's incredible to finally be able to truly relax in our own backyard, enjoying the peace and the privacy.”

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Met Home Winners: Best Indoor/Outdoor Design

Congratulations to the Cohen family of Greenwich, Connecticut. We deem you 1st place finalist in the Met Home Winners Contest, winning for the Most Enviable Glass House.